What Brings Teens to Therapy

Teenagers do not arrive at therapy announcing exactly what is wrong. More often, they arrive because something is not working -- at school, at home, in their friendships, or inside themselves -- and the usual approaches are not helping.

We work with teens dealing with:

Anxiety and worry -- perfectionism, fear of failure, social comparison, and the kind of relentless overthinking that makes it hard to sleep, focus, or enjoy anything. Anxiety in teens can look like avoidance, irritability, or physical complaints that are real even when there is no medical cause.

Depression and low mood -- pulling away from friends, losing interest in things they used to love, moving through the day on autopilot, or feeling like they are not as good as everyone else. Teen depression does not always look sad. Sometimes it looks numb or flat or angry.

Identity and self-worth -- figuring out who they are, where they belong, what they believe, and what they want. This is developmentally normal and also genuinely hard, especially when family, social, or cultural expectations feel at odds with who they are becoming.

LGBTQIA+ identity -- our team provides affirming, non-pathologizing support for teens who are navigating sexual orientation, gender identity, or both. This is work we take seriously and do carefully. Learn more about our LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy.

School stress and academic pressure -- the weight of grades, college applications, disappointing parents, and measuring up to peers. When the pressure does not let up, it stops being motivation and starts being damage.

Trauma and difficult family experiences -- teens who have experienced something frightening, destabilizing, or painful at home, in a relationship, or elsewhere. They do not need to have language for it yet for it to be worth addressing. See our trauma therapy page.

Childhood emotional neglect -- some of our teen clients grew up in households where their emotional needs were overlooked, even in otherwise loving families. This affects how they see themselves and how they relate to others in ways that therapy can help clarify and shift. Learn more about CEN.

Grief -- the death of someone they loved, the end of a friendship, a family change, or any kind of loss that has not found a place to land. See our grief therapy page.

How We Work with Teens

Teenagers are not small adults, and teen therapy is not adult therapy with a younger client. Our teen therapists know how to build a relationship with an adolescent who may have walked in skeptically, understand the specific pressures of this developmental stage, and work in ways that feel relevant rather than clinical.

We draw on a mix of approaches depending on the teen and what they need:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective for anxiety, depression, and thought patterns that are getting in the way. It gives teens concrete tools without being preachy about it.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps teens develop a different relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions rather than trying to fight or suppress them.

Somatic approaches work with the physical experience of stress and emotion in the body. Many teens find this more accessible than talking directly about feelings, especially early in therapy.

Brainspotting for teens dealing with trauma, anxiety that feels stored in the body, or emotions that are hard to access through conversation. Learn more about brainspotting.

Parts work helps teens understand the different parts of themselves that may feel in conflict, which can be especially useful during the identity exploration of adolescence.

A Note for Parents

If you are a parent reading this, you are probably doing research before your teenager even knows you are considering therapy. That is normal. A few things worth knowing:

We work collaboratively with parents while maintaining the confidentiality that makes therapy safe and effective for teenagers. We do not share session content with parents as a rule, but we do keep parents informed about anything related to safety, and we can involve parents in the work when it makes sense and the teen agrees.

The most common mistake parents make in getting a teenager to therapy is overselling it. Teens who feel forced are more closed. If you can present it as something you are willing to try together -- one appointment, no commitment -- they are more likely to actually give it a chance.

Teen Therapy in Sacramento, In Person and Online

We see teens in person at our Midtown Sacramento office at 2131 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA 95816. We work with teens from across Sacramento and the surrounding areas.

We also offer online therapy for teens to anyone located in California, including Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Davis, Roseville, and beyond. Many teenagers actually prefer the privacy and convenience of video sessions from home.

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